How Consumers Interact with Mobile App Advertising

In December, 2010, Harris Interactive conducted a survey on how consumers perceive and interact with mobile app advertising. The study’s most significant finding: nearly half of the adult population states that they click on mobile ads by mistake. That should be shocking news to mobile app advertisers inasmuch as most such ads are sold on a cost-per-click (CPC) model. Some of the report’s other key findings:

Mobile apps are popular across all age groups. 40% of U.S. adults 18-34 years old use mobile apps, making this age the largest group of adopters among adults in the U.S. Mobile apps are also popular with U.S. adults ages 35-44 and 45-54. 21% of the people in both of these age groups use mobile apps. While 57% of men use apps, 43% of women do as well.

95% of the U.S. adult population prefers free apps. Even affluent consumers prefer free apps – 96% of people that have a HHI of $75K plus prefer free apps. Given that consumers prefer free apps, mobile app developers and publishers have to depend on ad revenue to monetize their apps.

In mobile environments, consumers prefer ads that do not disrupt their user experience by pulling them out of an app and taking them to a mobile web browser.

63% of U.S. adults prefer to sign up—or opt in—to receive deals, information, and newsletters from marketers through mobile apps. In contrast, only 38% are receptive to commercials or video ads in mobile apps.